What to do to make me a stronger applicant?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hello,
I’m from Brazil, will take SAT next January. I will apply for Biomedical Engineering, but I don’t feel like I stand a chance in my current situation. What should I do?</p>

<ul>
<li>Finished High School (GPA 8.5/10)</li>
<li>Head of Question Solving team in High School Second Year Science Festival</li>
<li>6 University Of Cambridge ESOL Certificates
. YLE (Starters, Movers and Flyers)
. KET
. PET
. FCE (Band C)</li>
<li>Accepted for a Brazilian Private Medical School and Public Law School</li>
</ul>

<p>Will apply for:

  • SAT I
  • SAT II Mathematics (Which one should I take? Level 1 or 2?)
  • SAT II Biology
  • TOEFL</p>

<p>Misc.:

  • Trained Basketball for 4 years
  • Phylanthropic work at Church</p>

<p>So, will I stand a chance after that? Which Colleges should I choose?</p>

2

<p>Colleges in America? Sorry but your situation does not come up on here a lot. </p>

<p>Also, my school (North Carolina State University) has an exchange agreement with some schools in Brazil. That may be an option: <a href=“http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/brazil/”>http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/brazil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I have seen a couple people from Brazil in my classes previously. </p>

3

<p>I actually went to middle school in Brazil so maybe i can help a little. </p>

<p>1- I’m assuming you are apping as a International Student? If so you should familiarize yourself with the admission criteria of any particular Colleges you plan to apply to.</p>

<p>2- Academically i’m sure you are aware that Brazil is less rigorous than the US. So it might be important to do well on your SATs to make sure you can demonstrate you are prepared to take the courses.</p>

<p>3- Your weakness is also your ace in the hole. Colleges pride themselves in having a diverse student body. Your essay should highlight what unique contribution your life experiences can bring to whatever university you plan to apply to. </p>

<p>4- How good are you at basketball? I’m not a good athlete but in the US lots of outstanding athletes get admissions to very prestigious colleges based on athletic performance. Maybe it’s something you can look into? </p>

<p>Boa sorte meu amigo!</p>

4

<p>Thanks/Obrigado!
Huh, one question I have.
Some sources say that International Students need to take only SAT Subject Tests + TOEFL (No Reasoning Test) and others say that I need to take SAT Reasoning Tests + Subject Test + TOEFL. I believe I need to take everything, right?</p>

<p>@Fsswim1‌
Regular Basketball players, I think I’ll have to rely on tests only :/</p>

5

<p>Some schools might as for SAT Subject Tests + TOEFL only. Other’s might ask for SAT Reasoning Tests + Subject Test + TOEFL. Different schools have different requirements, but they ALL have a international student center/counseling where you can ask exactly what you need to apply for that particular school. </p>

<p>My suggestion would be:
1- What do i wanna study? Since you are in the Engineering forums i’m gonna guess Engineering :smiley:
2- Which schools would i like to attend. And be honest with yourself. Pick like 2 dream schools, 2 good schools and maybe 2 safety schools.
3- Look at admission requirements for international students at those universities.
4-Get everything you need and apply. (Dont forget to put all those awesome volunteer and extra curricular activities you did on the applications if you can)
5-Pray</p>

6

<p>1 - Biomedical Engineering… Fine.
2 - Huh… Need to think about it. John Hopkins… Yale, maybe.
3 - okay, I will call/email them.
4 - 7 years in catholic school, yay! Full of charity work experience!!</p>

7

<p>That is very good advice from Fsswim.</p>

<p>To be candid, you should investigate schools other than Johns Hopkins U or Yale U and the like, unless your marks and scores are superior. Getting admitted to elite schools such as those two universities is very difficult. Not impossible, but the odds only favor applicants with a quite substantial record of effort and achievement. One more thing, BME study is still in its relative infancy at U.S. colleges, so you need to decide if that specific major will satisfy your goals, rather than a B.S. in a more traditional engineering discipline or life science. Many professional people in the field recommend a Master or PhD in BME, rather than a B.S. </p>

8

<p>Well, apart from SAT/TOEFL (Which I haven’t done yet), my school reports, University Entrance Test and National Test Results are pretty good (85-90% grades), but I know what you mean. I will be rational when it comes to choose a University.
Well, about the course choice… I know it is pretty new and not a fully developed profession like traditional ones, but I think it satifies me.
Thanks!</p>

9

<p>Regarding SAT Subject Tests, for the few engineering programs which require subject tests, which are typically selective, they typically require Math Level 2 and a science. </p>

<p>Anyone who has taken pre-calc in high school (or higher) should take Math Level 2, and not Math Level 1. Although this may seem surprising, “good” math students typically do better on Math Level 2 than on Math Level 1, because the curve is more forgiving. (With the equivalent number of missed questions, the score on Math Level 2 is much higher than on Math Level 1.)</p>

10

<p>Without SAT scores, or at least estimates, it isn’t really possible to recommend which schools would have an appropriate level of selectivity.</p>

11

<p>sacchi‌ , thanks. I will take Biology and Maths Level 2, then. By the way, I’m planning to take BME focusing in Medical School. Is it a good plan? Do you think there are better routes?</p>